Hey, Quenty: We reject your hypothesis right back
It was the dude bro high five heard round the world.
At a press conference for the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, New York Times critic Farah Nayeri (although she may as well just legally change her name to A Female Journalist, because that’s how she is referred to in just about every story covering this experience) did her job and asked a question. The nerve of her! She asked, specifically, as to why Margot Robbie — who played the role of actress Sharon Tate in the film — had so few lines for such a prominent role.
Tarantino scowled and said, “Well I just reject your hypothesis.”
That was it. He could not even offer a logical defense to explain as to why Robbie — an Oscar-nominated actress who is featured prominently on the film’s poster and publicity photo sets — was given little to say in the film itself.
In the wake of this response, I could almost hear dude bros everywhere clapping their hands and clicking their beer mugs, exclaiming, “You go, Tarantino! You show that SJW who’s boss!” And almost immediately, I saw YouTube vids and social media messages reflecting this same sentiment.
When Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was released, however, Robbie’s portrayal of Sharon Tate turned out to be the least problematic gender issue in the movie — rather frightening, but true.
Throughout the film, Tarantino shows a glowing respect for Tate’s husband, child rapist Roman Polanski — who he also has honored and made excuses for in real life. He depicts a scene in which a child actress is thrown across the floor — but it’s OK, because she was wearing arm pads. This after Tarantino was accused of pressuring actress Uma Thurman into performing a dangerous driving stunt on the set of Kill Bill. And appearing in the film is actor Emile Hirsch, who plead guilty in 2015 to the violent assault of Paramount executive Daniele Bernfeld. Hirsch, unbelievably, was hired to play the heroic Jay Sebring — the devoted friend of Sharon Tate who, in real life, died fighting for her.
Oh, and Brad Pitt’s character in the film is probably a wife killer. He’s the hero of the movie. He’s portrayed as a bad ass. And it is heavily implied that Pitt’s character, stuntman Cliff Booth, murdered his wife in cold blood.
In my mind, the true bad asses are Farah Nayeri, Shannon Lee, and film critic Grace Randolph, who dared to question Tarantino’s sexist film in her YouTube series Beyond the Trailer.
“People not seeing the problems with this movie, it dishearteningly shows that women’s rights still have a very long way to go,” she said.
Randolph admitted that it was hard for her to deliver a negative review of this film, and I totally get that. Like many women of my generation, I grew up in love with Brad Pitt (who plays a major role in my all-time favorite movie, Thelma and Louise) and Leo DiCaprio. As many have breathlessly mentioned, Pitt does look fantastic ‘up on the roof’ in that scene, and they both turn in good performances — just wish they were in a different movie. I adore Margot Robbie and the late great Luke Perry. As far as Tarantino’s other films, one has to give props to the strong heroines of Kill Bill and Jackie Brown. I’m just thankful that that car crash didn’t Kill Uma.
And yes, I understand that Sharon Tate’s sister wept at her screening of the film, because she felt like she was seeing her sister for the first time in years, in all of her ethereal, unbelievable glory. But I attribute that to the Magic of Margot (and Sharon), not the Magic of Tarantino. Still, I’m so glad that Debra Tate had that moment.
Like A Female Journalist, Randolph is being attacked on social media for her viewpoints. But they are standing strong, and so is Shannon Lee, daughter of Bruce Lee, businesswoman and martial artist, and curator of his legacy. She had to sit in a movie theater and watch her legendary father be mocked as a braggart and a loser. She is justifiably angry.
And so am I.
I don’t like you, Quentin Tarantino. I never have and never will. And while I like and respect many of the performers in the movie save Hirsch, I reject your movie.
